Fran Maedel, Angie Terrasi, Irene Kuehnlein and Betty Bodell, all older than 80, have been art league members for more than 25 years.

All continue to paint, enter art shows and frequently attend league meetings.

"To me, these women are the treasures of the group," said Jan Van Houten, Monroe Art League secretary.

"They have so much experience, and when you ask for their input on a painting you're working on, they see things we often don't see. They have such an eye for art.

"I also think they're an inspiration. They make me feel like, if they can do it, I can do it. Even with health problems, some of them have had, they have not let up."

Mrs. Maedel, 89. is a founding member of the league, which began in 1959. She studied art in college and taught art in Pennsylvania and Monroe.

Her late husband, Robert, then her daughter, Connie Diehl, owned and operated Maedel Cameras in Monroe for more than 50 years

"In the late 1950s, there were no art opportunities for adults in Monroe, " Mrs. Maedel said. "A few people who were interested in art found out about each other and got together.

"At that time, the members needed a working studio so the club provided a place for that," she said.

"Now most people have their own studios and have more opportunities and places to take classes and work on their art."

For several years, Mrs. Maedel has been inviting a group of fellow artists to drop in and paint Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at her own studio. Some 10 to 12 people regularly stop in.

"If it weren't for people coming over (to paint at my studio), and for my being active, I probably would be in a rocking chair," she said. "They're my life."

Mrs. Maedel paints a variety of subject matters, including still life and landscapes, often painting from her or her daughter's photographs.

"I'm getting away from portraiture because I don't see as well as I used to," she said. "I paint more scenery now; you can be a little looser in your interpretation. As you get older, you adapt."

Mrs. Bodell, 82, has been a member of the art league since 1975.

"I've enjoyed the league because I've had the chance to meet people who are interested in art plus I've been able see demonstrations from other artists," she said.

"Those of us who have been members of the league for a long time have become very good friends through the years."

Describing herself as "self taught," she enjoys painting a variety old buildings and outdoor scenes.

"I paint with a palette knife instead of a brush," she said. "This gives the painting more of a texture, which I really like.

In years past, she painted more often outdoors around Monroe with league members. Now she paints mostly from her photographs of interesting places she and her husband visited during their vacation travels.

"Right now I'm working on a painting of a flower shop in Austria," she said.

"Nowadays, I just paint when I feel like it," she said. "It's very relaxing."

A league member since 1969, Mrs. Kuehnlein, 86, is widely known for her skill in painting roses and for her china painting. She continues to make china porcelain Christmas tree balls as Christmas gifts.

"Years ago, a neighbor taught china painting, and I learned it from her," she said.

"A lot of people can paint but china painting is more unique," she said. "I don't' want it to become a lost art."

Mrs. Kuehnlein continues to accept commissions and particularly enjoys being asked to paint on more unusual surfaces.

Membership in the art league helped motivate her and many others through the years to keep up with their art, she said.

"The art league kept so many of us going with our painting and gave us a reason to paint because of the shows," she said.

Mrs. Kuehnlein had to have her right leg amputated above the knee earlier this year, but she hasn't let the operation dampen her spirits — or stop her painting.

"I haven't thought about the leg at all — I just keep working," she said.

Mrs. Terrasi, 86, was one of the first organizers of the Monroe Art League's spot shows, which continue to be popular today.

Members exhibit one or two paintings every two months in local business and public buildings, rotating both paintings and venues.

"The spot shows gave us a way to show our work and get some publicity for the league," she said.

Mrs. Terrasi said she started taking drawing classes through the Monroe Art League in 1969, having raised six children. She enjoys painting a variety of outdoor subject matter, including landscapes, buildings and flowers.

"I was raised in Italy, and I first started painting scenery and old buildings based on photographs I'd taken in Italy," she said.

More recently, she's said she's "turned to watercolors" and been painting more flowers.

Monroe artists seem to be more successful in selling their work locally than they were in years past, she said.

"I've always said that people think if they go out of town (to buy art), they'll get something better," Mrs. Terrasi said. "They don't realize what we have right here."

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